TV.NXT 2012: It's time to create indigenous unscripted properties

A panel discussed the trend of fatigue in fiction formats, the growth opportunities for the non-fiction genre and the ways in which digitisation is likely to impact unscripted content.

On Day Two of TV.NXT 2012, a distinguished panel discussed the issue of unscripted content on Indian TV, the tectonic changes the format is bound to undergo both, on the content side as well as the channel side of the equation, and the impact digitisation will have on this kind of unscripted content.

The panel comprised Ajay Chacko, president, A+E Networks|TV18; Rahul Johri, senior vice-president and general manager, South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific; Sunil Punjabi, business head, AXN India, Sony Pictures; Anupama Mandloi, head, content, Fremantle Media India; Manisha Tripathi, managing partner, Liquid Thread, Starcom MediaVest Group; and Abhimanyu Singh, chief executive officer, Contiloe Entertainment. The session was moderated by Rajiv Rao, features page editor, Business Standard.

Before getting into questions pertaining to the topic at hand, the moderator first asked each of the panellists to take a minute each and tell the audience a bit about the way in which the current digitisation trend has affected their daily work.

Chacko started by stating a few facts and figures. A year back, he said, this genre was growing by 2-10 per cent a year. This year, the genre has grown by 30 per cent. Broadly speaking, the market for this genre has grown by 25 to 30 per cent in terms of the number of viewers, time spent and revenue. However, despite this growth across key parameters, in the Indian market factual entertainment is still a small fraction of general entertainment and currently comprises just about 5 per cent of general entertainment.

What will it take for this genre to become even bigger and more mainstream? Perhaps the answer lies in 'language-ing' or 'regionalising' the content and launching more big ticket original content in this genre! Chacko considered the chain of events that transpired in the USA as a benchmark and reference point for Indian TV: In the 1980-90s, fiction ruled the roost in America but today, factual entertainment is almost 60-65 per cent of general entertainment there. In fact, fiction as a mainstream offering has de-grown by around 6 per cent. Maybe 'indigenising' content - that is, launching more indigenous non-fiction content - will help Indian TV follow suit.

Mandloi said that hopefully, with digitisation, things will change for the better. She reminded the audience that while a lot of experimentation has happened in the non-fiction space of late, budget constraints make it difficult to sustain these properties. "It is time for indigenous properties to be created in this genre and then possibly marketed abroad," she said on an optimistic note.

Also, she said, digitisation will increase the level of transparency through better defining audience demographics, redefining 'niche' and 'mass' and experimenting in a more structured manner.

However, the moment channels start 'indigenising' content, there needs to be a fair balance between fiction and non-fiction, cautioned Punjabi. Going on to voice another concern, he said that the dependence on our rating system (TVRs and TAM ratings) kills the rationale behind -- and prevents us from taking the plunge towards -- the whole 'high risk-high reward' scenario in this genre. Digitisation will change both, the consumption and differentiation of content, and will increase the ability to take risks with content, he predicted.

Singh opined that the landscape will change in two ways in the days ahead: Firstly, digitisation will lower the carriage fee; this will have a direct impact on broadcasters' bottom lines. Secondly, broadcasters' dependence on advertisers will undergo a huge change; there'll be more money coming into broadcasters' kitties. How will this change the content providing/production business in India? "After subscription comes in, broadcasters will be able to take a plunge and do many more shows in this genre, such as Bigg Boss and KBC," he said, adding that reduced dependence on advertisers will also change the way fiction is consumed; there'll be many more supernatural shows, big ticket action shows, detective shows -- shows that typically cost a lot. Also, subscription will bring good news for genres such as horror (that brands are typically reluctant to associate themselves with) and comedy (that usually need huge investments).

Lending perspective into the brand side of things, Tripathi stated that digitisation will make targeting more effective. Brands will find more opportunities to create branded entertainment, to integrate their message into the narrative, to create a dialogue with their consumers across touch-points and to impact behaviour across media.

"It is a very exciting landscape," she said. All these changes might also have a positive impact on the methods of tracking niche channel viewership, she enthused.

Re-focusing on the topic, Chacko then addressed the issue of whether unscripted content can become more mainstream in India. He spoke about the definition of 'unscripted' or 'non-fiction' in India -- about how it tends to be confined to the concept of 'reality show'. "The definition of 'unscripted' is not limited to 'reality TV'; it is a lot broader than that," he pointed out, "It is not something that happens in a box." Rather, it should be viewed as content that happens in an uncontrolled environment, he suggested.

For a production house, what does it take to develop a non-fiction format locally? Well, all it really takes is a creative idea or intellectual property, the panel agreed. In the wake of digitisation, we'll have to wait for a tipping point where good ideas, production value and editing/story-telling skills all come together to aid the growth of the unscripted genre on Indian television.

This was the third edition of TV.NXT, an afaqs! event presented by ABP News.